Calgary, Alberta

:This page refers to the city of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. For other places with the name Calgary, see Calgary (disambiguation)

Arts and culture

Calgary's cultural scene has changed considerably since the city has grown. Today, Calgary is a modern cosmopolitan city that still retains much of its traditional culture of hotel saloons, hockey and western music. As a relatively ethnically diverse city, Calgary also has a number of major multi-cultural areas. It has one of the largest Chinatowns in Canada as well as a burgeoning ?Little Italy? in the Bridgeland neighbourhood. Forest Lawn is among the most diverse areas in the city and as such, the area around 17th Avenue S. within the neighbourhood is also known as International Avenue. The district is home to a wide variety of ethnic restaurants and stores.

Related Topics:
Saloons - Hockey - Western music - Chinatowns - International Avenue

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Calgary is the site of the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, a 4 million cubic foot (113,000 m3) performing arts, culture and community facility. The auditorium is one of two "twin" facilities in the province, the other located in Edmonton. The 2,700-seat auditorium was opened in 1957 and has been host to hundreds of Broadway musical, theatrical, stage and local productions. Annually, over 850,000 visitors frequent the performance space. The "Jubes" as they are known, are the resident home of the Alberta Ballet, the Calgary opera, the Kiwanis Music Festival, and the annual Canadian Legion Remembrance Day Ceremonies. The two auditoria are run by community-based non-profit societies and operate 365 days a year. The two auditoria have recently completed a $91 million renovation. They opened on the Province's Centennial, Sept. 1.

Related Topics:
Alberta Ballet - Calgary opera - Kiwanis Music Festival - Remembrance Day

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Calgary is also home to the internationally-renowned contemporary theatre company, One Yellow Rabbit. The company shares the massive EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and two more established theatre companies, Theatre Calgary and Alberta Theatre Projects. Calgary was also the birthplace of the improvisational theatre games known as Theatresports. The Calgary International Film Festival is also held in the city annually.

Related Topics:
One Yellow Rabbit - EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts - Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra - Theatre Calgary - Alberta Theatre Projects - Theatresports - Calgary International Film Festival

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The city is also home to several museums. The most well known of these, the Glenbow Museum is the largest in western Canada and includes an art gallery. Other major museums include the largest Chinese Cultural Centre in North America, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (at Canada Olympic Park), the Museum of the Regiments, and the Aero Space Museum. There are also a number of art galleries in the city and many of them are concentrated along the Stephen Avenue and 17th Avenue corridors. The largest of these is the Art Gallery of Calgary.

Related Topics:
Glenbow Museum - Canada Olympic Park - 17th Avenue

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Calgary is affectionately called the Nashville of the North, and took a large part in the country revival of the 1990s. Currently, some of the city's most popular bars trade on the image of cool country, playing contemporary country music to young twenty-somethings.

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Calgary also holds many major annual festivals including, The Calgary Stampede, the Folk Music Festival, The Lilac Festival, and the second largest Caribbean festival in the country (Carifest).

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Calgary is also home to a thriving all-ages music scene.

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The Stampede

The city is famous for the Calgary Stampede, a very large agricultural fair and rodeo every July. The Stampede officially bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth". It features an internationally recognized rodeo competition, a midway, stage shows, agricultural competitions, chuckwagon races, First Nations exhibitions, and pancake breakfasts around the city, among other attractions. It is among the largest and most well known festivals in Canada. The event has a 93 year history.

Related Topics:
Calgary Stampede - First Nations

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The Calgary Stampede was inaugurated in 1912 by Guy Weadick, an American trick roper. Weadick wanted to put on a world-class rodeo event and Wild West show that would bring the best cowboys from across the continent. The first Stampede was the richest rodeo competition in North America with prize money totaling $20,000. It drew more than 100,000 spectators. In 1923, the Stampede was combined with the Calgary Exhibition and the chuckwagon races were added. In 2004, the rodeo prize money was doubled to $1 million to put the Stampede on par with other major rodeos such as the National Finals Rodeo.

Related Topics:
Calgary Stampede - Guy Weadick

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In 2005, attendance at the 10-day rodeo and exhibition totalled 1,242,928, which set a new record. Attendance at the "Stampede Parade" (North America's second longest parade), which takes place downtown on opening day is usually somewhere between 300,000 and 400,000. During Stampede Week, many of the city's residents dress in country attire, and many businesses decorate their stores and offices in this "western" style.

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Other annual festivals

• Winter Festival (February)
• Rodeo Royal (March)
• Calgary Independent Film Festival (March)
• Visaki Mela (Punjabi Spring Harvest Festival) (May)
• International Children's Festival (May)
• 4th Street Lilac Festival (May)
• Carifest (June)
• International Jazz Festival (June)
• Greek Festival (June)
• Chariot Festival of India (July)
• Folk Music Festival (July)
• Heritage Day (August)
• Dragonboat Festival (August)
• Afrikadey! (August)
• International Reggae Festival (August)
• GlobalFest - One World Festival and International Fireworks Competition (August)
• Expo Latino (August)
• Barbecue on the Bow (September)
• Artcity - Festival of Art, Design and Architecture (September)
• Calgary International Film Festival (September / October)
• Banff Festival of Mountain Films (October)
• Twelve Days of Christmas (December)